How to Stay Motivated and Make Consistent Progress with Spanish (Interview with Brittany Davis, Winner of the Spanish Con Salsa Members Challenge) ♫ 15

Speaker 1:
1:37

I let those be and money those. Welcome to episode 15 of the learn Spanish con Salsa podcast. In today's episode, I'm going to share a conversation with you that I recently had with Brittany Davis. Now if you're wondering who is Brittany, she's probably a lot like you. Brittany started learning Spanish about maybe a year or so ago and she really feels connected to the culture, the music, and she was really looking for a way to make consistent progress and stay motivated while she was learning. And so in this conversation with Brittany, she's going to share some of her successes, some of the things that she struggled with and ultimately what led her to really be able to make consistent progress with her Spanish. Now Brittany is a part of our Spanish consults that members only community. And if you're wondering about what that is, I will speak a little bit about that after the conversation. But one thing we do within the membership community is that we have challenges from time to time. So Brittany is actually the winner of our last 90 day members challenge. So it was a 90 day challenge where every single week members in the Spanish consults community adds a complete different activities, whether it had to do with listening, comprehension, Spanish conversation, practice learning a new grammar point, a new skill, completing a course. We had a variety of activities, a lot of different challenges. They also did a lot with music as well. So everyone sort of had some friendly competition and they also competed for a prize. So their prize for this rounds of the members challenge that just wrapped up at the end of last year was a trip to Puerto Rico. So it's a seven night stay. So Brittany actually at the time we had this conversation, she was just a finalist in the challenge that she didn't yet know that she was a winner. So this conversation that you're about to hear was actually the final activity of the challenge was to have a conversation to reflect on the progress that she had made, um, throughout the challenge and really since she had joined the Spanish call salsa community as well as answering some questions in Spanish as sort of a test to her skill level and where she was at that point and the progress she had made. So I hope you enjoy this conversation with Brittany and that it will inspire you were talking all about how to stay motivated and make consistent progress learning Spanish because I know a lot of you out there and I know I definitely have struggled with consistency and really making Spanish a part of my day, my daily routine, and really ultimately a part of my life. I really hope that this conversation with Brittany inspires you and that you get some ideas on how you can find an approach to learning Spanish that really works for you and that most importantly you can continue with for the long haul and stay consistent. Okay. So with that, here is our conversation with Brittany. Brittany, how are you learning Spanish before you joined Spanish con salsa?

Speaker 2:
4:28

Like I was getting a bunch of books from the library trying to read through. I was getting book recommendations and ordering them. And so I a bunch of books sitting in front of me and I'm trying to get dedicated to reading at least one of them and then some. And then when he came to conversation I was like stumped and I'm like, oh I need to learn how to save this. And next thing I know I'm jumping in different places in the book and still learning. Absolutely nothing.

Speaker 1:
4:53

So you had the classic stack of books, lack of textbooks that were so much fun that you just didn't get to read them effort. Right? Yeah, I've heard that before. I'm familiar with that story. So, so then you know with your stack of books that you had and really struggling to have a conversation, what was your biggest problem you would say at the time that you had with learning Spanish before you joined?

Speaker 2:
5:18

I guess it would be staying motivated. Cause I mean when you feel like you're like doing a lot, like you're reading all of these things or how to say say certain words and you're on your dual lingo APP and still not having complete sentences or your on your uh, phone, downloading all of these apps and getting absolutely no results from actually conversing with somebody said something to you like really fast and you're like, wait, I haven't learned that yet. Like it was the staying motivated because I have a tendency of like, like I'm a perfectionist so knowing that I am doing things to in order to speak and to do it like grammatically correct and knowing that I either was able to do it or make sense and when I did it was really disheartening. And so staying motivated was really complicated for me.

Speaker 1:
6:15

How would you say that's changed since you've been a member of Spanish? Elsa?

Speaker 2:
6:19

I'd say it's changed because since I started like literally not in days gone by where I haven't studied. So I'd say that means I've gotten really good at being motivated because

Speaker 1:
6:32

they notice your track or your track record on habit chairs like ridiculous. Like every second of my check in I'm like, Whoa, she's got a streak going. So you've definitely kept up with your, um, lift study on a regular basis?

Speaker 2:
6:44

Cause like for me, like, like with anything, like for me, like I would tell myself, I'll give myself two weeks and see how it goes. Like that's like my streak. Like, Oh, I'm like exercise before the summer and like two weeks before I'll start. And then that's what happens. And it's the same thing with everything else. Like I give myself to two weeks and then two weeks later it may or may not still be a thing. And it's usually not till the fact that my habit share says 549 days, I think. I'm like,

Speaker 1:
7:13

wow, wow, wait a record one. So, um, so Brittany then, I guess with that, what, what do you like most about being a member?

Speaker 2:
7:25

I'd say being able to the work with music and it's a lot more of a fun in more motivating way to stick to Spanish lake. Cause like usually I'm not very motivated to do anything but thus far like when I needed to know something I knew okay so I can go to me to this song to learn it or I can go to the member's page and watch this video or I can go to the uh, pronunciation courses or I can go to this. I know there, there hasn't been something yet in the Spanish gone saucy that that wasn't able to help me. Like, uh, like there's always something that breaks down what I needed to know and that's very helpful to me. So I'm deaf. I would definitely miss that.

Speaker 1:
8:20

What's the most significant improvement that you've noticed in your Spanish? So either something that you've noticed or it could be something that one of your friends or someone else that you're speaking to notice. Because sometimes we're our own worst critics and we don't always realize when we're improving until someone else tells us. So is there something that either you've noticed yourself or that someone you've talked, you've talked to said, hey, you know, Brittany, you've really gotten better with this, that you didn't notice until they brought it to your attention?

Speaker 2:
8:48

Um, I think it's definitely a little bit of everything. Like I can definitely say that I've noticed improvement cause thinking about where I was like year ago and like thinking about how literally the only words I knew how to say was okay an audio and now it's like I was, I was talking to my mom last weekend. It was like I was telling her I was trying to study for my meeting this weekend and in English because I was going to an English meeting this time and each time I was trying to go over my answers, my brain kept turning it into Spanglish. I was like, I must be learning something because I can't keep one language. So it's like the fact that I can like start thinking an actual sentences and like switching between the two languages shows and there's an improvement there. And even among my friends, like they've even said like, uh, a lot of them will ask me like, where are you learning Spanish late, their Spanish is really good, like you need to come teach me. So it's like the, um, they gave me compliments on my pronunciation and the, and the being able to hold a conversation. Like true, there will be moments where I still have the APP ask them late call, more like, cause like sometimes they go really fast and I'm like, uh, and so they'll slow it down and then they'll say it to me again a little slower. And then I'm like, oh, and then I can reply. So it's like, I know I still have a lot of work to do because like I still get lost sometimes, but to know that the vocabulary is there, it's just a matter of, you know, being around it more and putting it into practice work. Cause I think that was like a, in one of the courses on the member members page, it mentioned about how uh, you have passive vocabulary and then you have active vocabulary. So I think that's like, uh, something that I find of improvement that I know that the vocabulary is there and little by little what's coming out as I go along. So like to be able to hold conversations and know that I have the ability to do it, that's definitely shows me that I'm improving.

Speaker 1:
11:07

That's great. Yeah. And you know, it is good when you get to get that feedback from other people because like I said, sometimes we can feel like, oh, we're making progress but it's so slow and we went to, you know, do better and know more faster. But when you have someone else, especially in native speaker that says, Hey, you know, your pronunciation is good or you don't really have an accident, like that can really motivate you to keep going. So that's pretty cool. Okay. And if a friend were to call you and they said to you, Brittany, I really want to learn Spanish, but what would you tell them?

Speaker 2:
11:37

Don't listen to what I got to say to you. Look at the Ra's on the thing is I have been able to fulfill all the goals I've set forth in Spanish thus far because I would have really sat down and said, okay, I'm gonna try this course. And that's never happened before. So it's like a nun. I think I said before that a lot of my friends, they're exactly the same way as me. They get a lot of books and they go on a lot of apps and they still get really, really, uh, nervous about not being able to have a conversation in Spanish. But with Spanish con salsa, I mean you don't get that feeling of overwhelmed, overwhelmed. It's nothing but fine in music and it's like you can have, you can literally learn and have a jam session at the same time. So why wouldn't you join?

Speaker 1:
12:29

Yeah, that's a good way to put it. Say I'm in the class that I do a on how to learn Spanish of flat and music. I always give the example of a dentist. Great. So I show one picture where there's a desk with like a stack of textbooks and they're all like covered up and there's a bunch of stuff on the desk and then there's another desk that literally just has like it. I'm a phone with some headphones and it right and maybe like a pen and a pad. Right. And it's so much cleaner and it's like, what would you rather learn at the end of the day if you've had a busy day at work or at school or hanging out with friends and you're just tired and you come home and you go, oh, now I'm going to study Spanish. Would you rather look at a stack of books or would you rather pop in your headphones, listen to some really fun music and learn at the same time and without fail, everyone always picks the option that has the headphones because who wouldn't want to learn that way? So I'm heavily thank you for saying that. That definitely reaffirms you know that you can learn without having to pull out textbooks. Not that books are bad, right? Like, I'm not saying you should be illiterate, but when it comes to speaking, what really helps people get over the hump is not keeping your nose in a book all day. Um, so definitely you've proven that with your commitment in the progress that you've made. Um, so with that, we're going to switch to Spanish. So I'm going to switch and ask you a couple of questions in Spanish. So first, just a few things about you and then I'm going to do what we call on the podcast, the quick fire rounds, which is five questions in Espaniol and you'll have to answer them off the top of your head. Okay? So at least that. Okay. But I must emphasize in dances. Brittany, um, Kennesaw, Edwin Bukito, they d and Don says they don't ars

Speaker 3:
14:13

Ruthie Day. Baltimore, Maryland, Eh thingl Benthic dos Anjos he, Cassie Matm fro Ma. Call me some egos. I mean megastars on Ar. Oh God. Especially a man. Musket ball tennis.

Speaker 1:
14:41

Okay. Pajamas

Speaker 3:
14:45

on. Annual, Eh, Nueva masters.

Speaker 1:
14:49

Okay. No, Mucho Tiempo. Para was Dante. He Britney per Kig[inaudible] spaniel.

Speaker 3:
15:03

May I extend that to me? A four k t zero four. There are blotter con ultras in a ministerial[inaudible] personas.[inaudible] I C K I put in their upper their there. May I you that I say hello? Eat Tommy on Porter K uh, Cynthia, my aesthetic, I mean, may hold Amiga east too familiar and Floyd and porter. Kaye some Dominicana. Does he portray Kenos eat Damiana Yoda thingo more jazz. Mucho Familia. I keep Kay[inaudible] he may, may I you then I put in there[inaudible] in there. Aye. I mean, that goes, uh, la La la. That's a fool to not a meant it

Speaker 1:
16:15

because they're mucho. Would you love in dances? Qualis too.[inaudible] Spaniel. They Moussaka Latina.

Speaker 3:
16:40

See on poverty. That is, uh, income, uh, plants Royce[inaudible] Eh, uh,

Speaker 1:
16:58

it's excellent. Mass[inaudible] oh,[inaudible] Z. Ooh. Thema Coza gay ladies day as good chest day. Oh. Mirez Bay in a spaniel. When all

Speaker 3:
17:25

at school. Jay[inaudible] lack, can't see on[inaudible].

Speaker 1:
17:34

Well, they would have probably got Dominicana. Hello. Okay. Saca to Telefono e l Demo texter. Gary CBE stake Al Espaniol.

Speaker 3:
17:52

[inaudible]

Speaker 1:
17:59

Claudo Casey Casey. So thanks for participating in the quick fire round and thanks for taking the time out to answer a few questions. When a sweater day to a spaniel.